Harborne Academy

Not only is there a lack of professionalism among staff, most notably teachers speaking about their private lives rather than teaching. There is nothing wrong with the occasional personal anecdote or a little tidbit about what teachers have done over their holiday or weekend, but when they are instead spending the majority of the lesson gossiping, rather than teaching, it becomes a problem.

Some teachers think it's quite funny to poke fun at students, but I dislike this- as some teachers, in an effort to strive to be 'popular' or 'liked', pick on the student consistently, causing a butterfly effect and other students to dislike them without reason.

And of course there are the teachers that aren't quite sure what they're doing themselves, notably IT, Music and Business. The IT class is very basic, and the Business class is not explained well, and when it was explained well [during a very brief period of self awareness], it was decent at best. Later, the Business teacher decided to separate the class so the scores wouldn't be impacted, rather than actually teach the class.

Music is an entirely different story, with too much personal information being shared, phone numbers being exchanged with students- and a lack of coherency when explaining Music modules to the students. It is very enjoyable when being left to your own devices during a practical, and being split into groups to do work- as the students find their creative sides. However, if these students decide to undertake Music as a GCSE subject- I can only wish them luck. They will struggle to understand the most basic of their modules, as explanations will be riddled with personal stories and information completely inappropriate to discuss with the student body- adult relationships and the like.

Geography, good, leaning more towards decent than great as it would be very nice if the teacher could remember student names. Classes are taught well, with loaded information, and student wit is well received.

History, enjoyable. Heavily enjoyable, in fact. It would be nice to have the occasional break and do some practical work, rather than theoretical. I remember we were once dressed up and played as key people to help us retain information. It worked, I would have liked to see more of this.

Carpentry. Brilliant, brief, and you'll find yourself missing it the older you get, as it was a short, fleeting thing- unless you decided to undertake it as a GCSE, which unfortunately, most people do not.

The Mathematics department is decent, leaning towards good- with one failing flaw: robotic personalities. Classes are monotone, and they lack a sense of empathy towards students facing hardships, and would rather belittle them, or lower them a set- or multiple.

The science department is also decent, would be nice to be quieter, less yelling, less belittling, as you can see the belittling and 'comedic' teacher value is a recurring problem, isn't it? Science modules are taught well, but there is a lack of practical work, most of it being theory related, with makes students less interested.

Art. I have a lot to say about this department. Heavily unprofessional. Horribly so. From a lack of kindness to not disciplining a student for ruining another's work, to belittling the student who had their work ruined as a running joke. There is, admittedly, not much personal information being shared with the student body- however, there is a thick line between joking with students, and making fun of them. That line was stepped over a long time ago, and it would be beneficial to remind the teachers to be more sensitive to students. Furthermore, there is a judgement, and lack of clearness on what students are meant to do. There are favorite students, and there are students who are heavily picked on. It is easy to become swallowed up by this class, and become upset.

The student council. I bet you wouldn't think I'd write about them, as they're changed every few years. But how wrong you'd be! It is not the students themselves, which I have a qualm with, but rather the process of election. There was in fact, no election. Students are picked based off of appearance, both physically and grade wise. This was most likely to please Ofsted for any surprise visits, but I must press on how inappropriate it is to favorite students, and pick them for things such as trips to theme parks etc. A single responsibility could change the trajectory of life for a child, especially one that just wants to be seen.

The SEN Department, brilliant. Teaching English to overseas students, and helping students who need a little extra help. Not a fault I can see. Brilliant work, carry on.

First Aid Department. Adequate at best. Slapping a paper towel over everything does not fix it. Please hire more experienced people.

IT Help Department, not to be confused with the IT department. These two amazing men are witty, helpful and patient. They do not yell at you if you forgot to turn your computer on, but swore you did a minute ago. Good job.

Student Safety. Don't walk. Run. At the single mention of any sort of issue, or if a student has become too much of a liability, your child will be sent to CAHMS. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. If you would like to read what a god awful organization CAHMS is, and the type of horrible experiences children have, please head over and search it up. In addition, these teachers do not care about students, and there is a huge problem with bullying. Enormous, but everything is hidden up very well for Ofsted visits, and students who hurt others are given a tap on the wrist, and it often ends up with students going home with bruises and black eyes.

The front desk, or shall I say, the Attendance Department. Dear God. It becomes quite clear, quite quickly that some members of staff, despite not being teachers, try to have a firm grip on the school, not in regards of attendance or management, but rather manipulating other staff, and outing staff members who don't fit in. Some members of staff think it's appropriate to threaten students into paying a fine for missing school, rather than digging down into the root of the problem; what is stopping this student from attending, and how can we help them?

The question above is an issue I've not seen raised in the school often, with the exception of the English Department. Teachers from other departments will laugh off students who claim to be upset, or burned out- keep in mind, you attend this school from the age of 11 to 16, perhaps 17. Do you know what it is like in a student's home life? No. All members of staff are fully aware that some children find school a place where they can relax and make friends, as some students find it difficult or are unable to socialize.

The catering department- a one woman department. Brilliant. Exceptional in fact. Enjoyable beyond measure with a witty and comedic teacher, who you wouldn't expect to make you guffaw for hours.

The only other truly redeemable quality I can think of from this school, would be the English department. Beautifully polite teachers, kind souls, who genuinely strive to help the students succeed in all aspects of life, and aren't afraid to lend a helping ear.

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Horrible school, the only kind teachers are those from the English department. Art teacher and Music teacher have appalling attitude. Double standard for students of colour. Disgusting.